Mail's Here! Designer Lyndsay Hubley Shares Her Artistic Journey and Love for the Creative Community
It was no surprise to Lyndsay Hubley’s family when she became a creative entrepreneur- as she puts it, “It runs in the family!”. Artistically, Lyndsay is multi-dimensionally talented. While she works with more traditional media such as hand lettering or paint on canvas, she also makes lovely patterns and motifs using digital art methods. Whatever she touches turns to colour, and she loves expressing her style from her home in the picturesque Saint Margaret’s Bay area where she lives with her family. Her skills as a talented illustrator and painter of cards and prints make her a perfect fit for our Paper Hearts Pen Pal family!
Where did your creative business journey begin?
I’ve always loved to make art (I had painted in school), but I had to put the brushes away when we began raising our family. A few years back a cousin asked me to create some signs for her country wedding and it lit the spark I had been missing for a very long time. I was really happy to do that project and after putting photos out into the Instagram world I started getting requests for custom lettering and calligraphy jobs. I began selling on Etsy, and what I was hoping would be a side project while I was at home with the kids turned into my full-time job as orders kept coming in! So, we designated a room in our house for my studio and I got reacquainted with my brushes. Now every day I get to do something I love and I couldn’t be happier!
What made you choose to work with stationery in a digital age?
This was originally a custom lettering and signage company. Shipping large signs wasn’t the most economical choice for a small business just starting up. And as much I loved handcrafting them, I was always working on tight timelines for weddings and events, which could be difficult with the demands of our young family. I moved into stationery because I could create when it was best for our schedule, and it was so much easier to reach my customers with a smaller item that I could ship easily. I feel so grateful to be running an online shop in this digital age, having the ability to work out of my home while my kids are young and reach a worldwide audience is really pretty incredible. I love it!
What are some of the challenges you face in your business and how do you overcome them?
With wanting to create using so many mediums, I find it challenging to focus on just one! For now, I’m overcoming this by going with the flow and working where I feel best on a given day. Some days that’s painting, others, when I have the kids at home, it’s easiest to bring out the ipad and work that way. I’m also really ambitious and want to get as much done as I can with my time. This can be frustrating when I can’t get to everything. Doing it all – the printing, the packing, the shipping, and the customer service – there never seems to be enough time! But, I try to be mindful of this; at the end of the day, I tell myself to be grateful for what I did get done, rather than dwell on feeling like I hadn’t done enough.
What’s your favourite thing about being an entrepreneur?
By far, the most important thing to me right now as an entrepreneur is having the flexibility to be present when I need to be for my kids while they’re still little. And, of course, the creative freedom that comes with working for yourself!
What do you enjoy about being a part of the creative community in your area?
The artistic community here is amazing! It can be a demanding job to be a parent, and I’m constantly in awe of how much creativity and magic can manifest, even while wearing so many hats and running the day-to-day life stuff. I take so much inspiration and comfort staying in touch with other entrepreneurs and creatives who are out there doing it, making things happen and crafting beautiful things for our world!
What is one thing you would tell a fellow creator that is looking to start a business?
Oh my gosh – go for it! Never let anyone dictate what you should do with your one life! If you feel the call to create – do it! We’ve never lived in a better time for artists to find success doing something they are passionate about. The world needs your gifts!
